Iraq’s Minister of Defense Irfan Mahmoud al-Hayali, accompanied by Iraq’s ambassador to Jordan Safyah al-Sahil, met with Jordan’s Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Abdulhalim Farihat, according to a statement from Iraq’s Ministry of Defense.
The two sides discussed ways “for cooperation and joint coordination, and means of bolstering cooperative bilateral ties between the two brotherly countries,” according to the ministry.
“On the sidelines of the visit, attended by the Iraqi ambassador to Oman Safiyah al-Sahil, a military security agreement was signed,” the ministry added.
The main aim of the deal is to exchange expertise and information on border security, to bolster Iraq’s intelligence capabilities, arrange joint military training, and to share technology and research.
Iraq’s security forces are already receiving training from members of the US-led international coalition against ISIS. A NATO mission to train Iraqi forces is also set to begin soon.
Iraq’s border crossing with Jordan at Treybil was reopened in August 2017 after the Iraqi army secured the road from Baghdad to the frontier. Improvements in security on the border will help the two countries resume trade.
However, Iraq is still plagued by ISIS sleeper cells. The desert regions of Iraq’s Anbar province are thought to still harbor remnants of the group.
